


Leadership (2 Part Special)

by Kaltheinya



Series: Saurian Code Productions Season 2 [8]
Category: Mighty Ducks (animated)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-08
Updated: 2013-10-11
Packaged: 2017-12-28 21:13:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/996774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaltheinya/pseuds/Kaltheinya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A party takes a turn for the worse as the Ducks figure out their own team dynamics.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1: Under Pressure

**Author's Note:**

> Mighty Ducks do not belong to me.

Feelings at the Pond were tense for various reasons. The main one was that Dragaunus had remained quiet for two weeks. That caused paranoia within the team. The second reason was the growing tension between Wildwing and Canard. No one understood what was going on. Nosedive kept finding excuses to hang with the other ducks if only to get away from his ever growing weirder brother. He couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Dragaunus had possessed Wildwing somehow. 

Grin meditated more, claiming that the aura around him was heavy.

Despite the need to be away, there were days like this where there was no choice but to be in the same room. After all, Phil couldn’t have a team meeting if the team wasn’t there to begin with. So there he was, completely ignoring the weird atmosphere as he waved an envelope in his hands. His face was positively glowing.

“Guys!” he was saying, full of enthusiasm. “We have been invited to the biggest, best party for people like us! It’s the Anaheim Annual Charity Event!”

“Charity?” asked Duke. “Since when do you care about charity?”

“Hey, I’m a good guy at heart!”

“Yeah, but usually your events involve us giving our time. Not money.”

“Pssh. Of course! And we’ve been invited and I’ll have to part with some cash for us to attend, but think of what we could gain in the end! I’m sure I can schmooze some new benefactors and endorsements from a few people.”

“That sounds more like Phil,” grunted Nosedive. 

“I don’t know,” commented Canard.

“There will be a lot of top people there! It’ll be fun!”

“Yeah right,” Duke snorted.

“Well, it can’t be that bad. Wait… a ball? Doesn’t that mean there might be some dancing?” Tanya asked, looking doubtful.

Phil got to his knees. “Guys, I’m begging you! It’s rare to be invited to shenanigans like these! I’m only able to come if the whole team shows up, please!”

Canard rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine.”

“I have a bad feeling about this,” grunted Wildwing.

“Well, given our track record, anything Phil invites us to is bound to bring us trouble,” Mallory stated.

“Hey, I resent that! If anything, you should be grateful that I haven’t dropped you guys off with all the indigestion you’ve given me.”

“Well, if we’re such heartburn, then maybe we shouldn’t go to this party,” said Canard with an amused grin on his face.

“Boobulas! Did I say indigestion? I meant excitement!”

X

X

People argued with each other from the windows at a rundown apartment building. Despite that, no one was aware of the meeting that was taking place in the basement of the same building.

Fourteen men stood grouped together, listening to two more. Most of them looked like they served time, or had been involved in a war due to the number of tattoos or scars that they had. A couple just looked like they never saw the light of day, pale skin, greasy hair, lank bodies. But they all possessed a cold glint in their eyes.

Standing in front of them were Richard Sawyer and the recent escapee, Jarrod Hinks.

"Why should we trust you?" asked one of the men.

"I don't expect you to since you don't know me. But considering that all of you have skills that I would like to use in the future, be assured that I won't betray you. If one of you gets captured, I'll find a way to break you free. If you betray your fellow team mate, I will seek retribution. If you join me, we will be similar to a pack. All or nothing. "

The men looked at one another.

Jarrod straightened up. "I've worked with Sawyer for years. The only time I ended up in jail was to test someone else and he used his resources to break me free. After this job, if you guys don't want to stay on board, it'll be your choice to walk away with your earnings. We won't demand anything else of you. Unless you betray us, of course. Go your own way or follow us. Take this opportunity to decide whether to trust each other or not."

"What is it you want us to do?" asked one of the smaller framed men.

Richard grinned. "The wealthy are throwing a charity event. I say it will be the best opportunity to grab some quick cash and hostages for ransom. I already have five inside men. It's just that we need a bigger crew to pull this off."

"You really think we can?"

"With the right diversion, yeah, I think we can."

"With a crew this big, how do you plan on escaping?" asked one of the men.

"We have some high connections," Sawyer responded with a big grin.

X

Nightbloom watched as the men that met in the basement of the building began to head out. She narrowed her eyes as she noticed that the human she had used before, Sawyer, did not come out. But according to her sensors, he was moving away from the building.

Purple mist swirled around her and her physical form disappeared. The cloud began to move down towards the building, seeping into the small window that led into the basement.

X

Sawyer looked around as the droids kept working at building a tunnel towards the hotel where the Charity Ball was going to be held. He stopped as he approached the massive red figure in front of him.

"Are you satisfied with the progress?" Sawyer asked.

Despite the look of distaste on the red lizards face, Sawyer knew better than to speak with the same disgust and disrespect. He spoke without sarcasm and kept a neutral façade. After all, how much trust can one trust a member of the species wanting to decimate the world one lives on?

"Your men have almost finished installing the cameras that I needed. They have proven to be most effective."

Sawyer allowed a small smile to show through. "You have yet to fail me in providing what I need, Lord Dragaunus. So I will do everything in my power to not fail you."

"I will destroy you if you do."

"And I'm very aware of that, sir."

"Where are the others?"

"They don't need to know everything that I do."

"I see."

Sawyer looked around one more time.

"Do you mind if I ask why you need so many cameras?"

"Just using a technique that's been used by all great teams."

X

"Ugh!" groaned Dive, as he trudged his way into the rec room, followed by the other tired mallards of his team. One by one they all plopped down onto the couch, looking haggard and worn out.

"How many days before the torture fest?" Duke asked.

"Four more days," moaned Canard. "Who knew that shopping would be more taxing then practice. I've got it in my mind to cancel practice tonight just to recover!"

"Really?"

"No."

Duke let out a tired chuckled as Dive sulked.

Their attention was attracted by the sound of two squealing females. Tanya and Mallory entered with their bags of treasures and hurried to their dormitories. All the males followed them with their eyes, revulsion and horror clearly visible. "You know, I really think females are the stronger of all species," said Wildwing.

"Or the more masochistic," added Nosedive.

"Don't let Mallory catch you saying that," warned Duke.

A moment later, Phil finally entered, loaded down with bags and boxes. "Boobulas," he stated. "Don't just leave these laying around! Put them away before they get wrinkled or trampled!"

Nosedive dove behind one of the couches. "I don't want to see those bags until the day of the party!"

The rest of the mallards agreed.

X

Richard approached one of his newer associates, observing the younger man typing furiously on his computer. "Well, Gene?" he asked. He was one of the youngest recruits, fresh out of high school. Or at least he would have been if he hadn't been serving time in juvie. Shoulder length black hair, thick glasses, and pale skin, the kid looked like an easy target.

Richard researched him and knew that although physically he was outclassed, intelligence wise he was perfect. Of course that earned the kid the nickname Gene, short for Genius. The way Richard saw it, until they completely proved themselves and joined the team, there was no need to be on first name basis, even if he did know all of their names. Let them earn the right to call him something other than Sawyer.

The young man turned to look at him, his harmless high school geek appearance betrayed by the cold and apathetic voice he had. "Security won't be much of an issue even with the added agents that are reporting in for the task. Smokey reported that a couple of gangs are taking the bait."

Smokey was the other young recruit, in and out of juvie for arson. He had yet to be captured as an adult so Richard prided himself on getting him before that. He also knew the streets and was able to sneak his way around gang territories and gather information. Smokey was working with Arms, a weapons dealer with a legitimate business, as well as a secret illegitimate one. While he had his own inventory, Arms was helping spread the false information that there was to be a secret weapons trade not far off from where the Charity Ball was going to take place. He was offering an incentive for anyone who could acquire him some goods.

Cove and Black Dog were two ex-covert ops agents who went rogue after retrieving almost a million dollars during a siege. Hard times can bring the worst of good people. They were helping to train some of the other new recruits how to scale down the side of a building, scale a fence, and set up explosives that will help get entry without hurting themselves. Any skill that might be needed was up to them to train, especially with the information that Gene was giving them.

Of course, Sawyer's trump card was Fred. Not really his name at all, but considering that he had ties to the FBI, he could sniff up some clues to several operations, including the DEA and Home Security.

Too bad the lizards weren't going to help with the actual heist. That would have made things so much easier.

X

Captain Klegghorn eyed the badge in his hand before looking up at the woman in front of him. She had light brown hair pulled back into a tight bun. Hazel eyes looked at him sharply, and there was little make up on her face. She wasn't a looker in terms of anything memorable, but he did find her no nonsense attitude attractive. She was a tough cookie and the real deal, not someone playing hardball.

Too bad she was a fed.

"Why are the feds interested in covering an event that us locals can handle?" he asked, handing back her badge.

"That doesn't concern you," stated Agent Maureen Belle, giving him a haughty look as she took her badge back. "Then again, considering your current record… The safety of certain celebs residing here now warrant national protection whenever possible."

There was a moment of silence. "Are you talking about the Ducks?" Klegghorn asked, incredulously.

"We are officially providing them asylum and they have been targeted by terrorists, international and intergalactic."

"I would think a higher up group would take more charge in those matters then you guys," Klegghorn commented.

"Like the CIA and NASA? Depends on the nature of events. We are appropriate enough for this current detail. And since we are in charge, I trust that you will stay clear of our way."

Klegghorn narrowed his eyes. "I can keep my people clear, but wouldn't it be better to have them nearby for backup, just in case?"

"It's not necessary, but we will call should something arise."

"I'm sure you will," grumbled Klegghorn.

X

Richard looked at his team. "Well guys, tonight is the night. Each of you knows exactly what you're to do. We've got Team A doing the diversion, Team B infiltrating and manning the security control room, Team C rounding up the cash and hostages, and Team D providing cover. Rendezvous here where our vehicles will be staged."

"What about the tunnels?"

"My friend will take care of them to give us time to escape. We'll be given refuge aboard a ship that will make it difficult for the police to track us and rescue the hostages. Just kindly remember that twenty-five per cent of what we make is going to him."

"What? We weren't told this!"

Several of the men began to tense up and look at one another.

"Trust me. It's a bargain considering who is giving us a hiding place."

"Oh yeah? Who."

Richard motioned for the men to look behind them. They gave a start when a large shadow loomed over them, and Lord Dragaunus stepped into some light.

Complaints stopped short while two of the men whistled.

"You weren't kidding when you mentioned connections," one of them commented.

Richard grinned. "And before you argue that he is only hiding us, he is the one that provided the droids to dig the tunnels in such a short amount of time."

"I do have one request in terms of hostages," said Dragaunus. "As you may know, a certain team has been invited to the Charity Ball. Anaheim's very own Mighty Ducks."

Jarrod grinned. "Oh really…"

Dragaunus and Richard gave him a sharp look. "The blond one named Nosedive is to be brought to me, alive. With minimum damage."

Jarrod's grin fell and he seethed in anger.

"As for the others, if you happen to take one down, I will offer a reward."

Jarrod's grin returned. "So it's duck huntin' season, eh?"

"Indeed."

X

"I look like a teal blue penguin," Dive stated, as he stared into a mirror. It wasn't really the first time he wore the suit, or rather a mockery of a suit, but at that time he was running around feeling all agent like. This time he knew it was for publicity reasons and he didn't feel comfortable at all.

"Aw, but at least you look like a cute teal penguin," teased Duke, pinching one of Dive's cheeks.

A minor scuffle ensued as Dive swatted Duke's hand away and then turned to tackle him.

"Hey, hey! No damaging the suits!" complained Phil. "These babies aren't exactly bargain suits this time around, remember?" Phil turned back to Canard, helping him with his tie. The look on Canard's face was one of extreme suffering. Despite the thin film of tension that had been plaguing the team, they were looking forward to the distraction this party was going to provide. Wildwing stepped out, his suit a deep navy blue color. He finished off his tie and glanced at the others.

Duke's outfit was a deep mahogany color, Grin's an emerald green. Canard wore a dark khaki colored one. Each had their own bit of flair to the outfit, whether it was a tie, cummerbund, unbuttoned jacket and the like. Wildwing couldn't help but smile at the look of his fellow mallards. Despite the wild range of colors, they were wearing the outfits really well.

The sound of heels caught everyone's attention and they all turned to face the females of the group approaching. Everyone fell silent in shock except for Phil, who was already loudly admiring their tastes.

Mallory wore a dark blue gown that had triangulated straps. The top formed a rounded v, outlining her bust. The fabric was sewn into a diagonal pattern, all pointing inward and down, accenting her lean figure. It went all the way down and trailed slightly behind her. Three quarter length gloves gave her a more elegant look, and her hair was combed back with a small hair pin, holding up her hair on the left side.

Tanya had her hair tamed unlike they had ever seen it before. It was pulled back into a partial bun with a few curly tendrils coming down across her back. She wore a silky looking brown dress with spaghetti straps. It came down to the floor as well, but there was a slit in the front that came up to her knee, showing glimpses of her legs as she walked, yet flowing down like a curtain to cover them up when she stopped. The dress hugged her full figure, and soft neutral colored feathers accented the top of her dress, and her bust.

Nosedive was the first one to recover as he let out a whistle. "Girls, you are looking fine!" he crowed. Tanya blushed deeply while Mallory smirked.

"Don't we always?" she asked, coyly.

X

Agent Belle looked at her team. Three were dressed as servers, two others as security guards, and one was dressed as a valet attendant.

"Remember to act your part," she said. "The A team is already staking out where the deal is suppose to be going down. Your job is to make sure the situation doesn't escalate into here as we are too close to the situation. You are not to leave your position unless back up is called for, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

The woman turned to look at the building in front of her. While she found it unwise to separate her team and have one of them guard the annual ball when there was no immediate danger, her supervisors had determined the move and she had to follow. Using the police for security detail would have been more beneficial, ensuring that they were out of the way to make the operation easier. But once again, her bosses wanted minimum involvement with the local force.

Agent Belle grinned. Despite the misgivings, she felt tonight was going to be a rewarding night. If the information was correct, she would be bringing down a rather devious black market arms dealer and maybe even a gang leader.

X

One lucky valet was given a quick crash course on how to drive the Migrator so that all the current passengers could walk down the short red carpet leading into the resort where the ball was being held. Lights were flashing off from the small gathering of reporters and paparazzi that were hoping to get good pictures for their stories. All the ducks promised to be on their best behavior, although Nosedive was tempted to trip Duke up for having continued calling him the cute teal penguin their entire trip to the party.

The ducks marveled at the beauty of the lobby as they were led towards the elevator that would take them to the ballroom's level.

"Canard, can we just stay here one day?" Nosedive asked.

"But we live in the area!"

"So?"

The elevator was large enough for the whole team to fit in, as well as a few other people and the attendant. It went straight to the top, some twenty floors.

"Is this your first time attending the Charity Ball?" asked the attendant, speaking with Phil.

"Yes, it is. Me and my team."

"Well, I would like to welcome you on behalf of Extravagant Resort. The twentieth level is a private level owned by the resort's owner. He generously allows the use of this level for events such as this for good causes. The stairwells leading up to the twenty first level is off limits. Otherwise, enjoy the festivities."

The elevator reached the twentieth floor and opened up. The team stepped out and were once again amazed. Unlike a typical hotel in which an elevator would face out into a hallway, or a room where hallways connected, the twentieth level was completely open and surrounded by large window panes. Neon lights decorated the wall.

Tables were lined up along the windows, and another row was set along the outside where a massive pool seemed to wrap around the room. The buffet tables lined the wall that presumable led into the kitchens. In the middle there was an ice sculpture of a money sign, and crystal jars filled with cash and checks lay around it. Cardstock with organizations names printed in gold stood in front of each jar.

The Mighty Ducks approached the table and deposited their own set of cash into the jars of the organizations they wanted to donate to. Dive, torn between two of the organizations, separated his stack. Not long after that, they found themselves separated as people swarmed over to them, pulling them into different directions. Phil did his best to follow them, since he wouldn't allow anyone to take advantage of his team's good nature. It needed to be the other way around.

Wildwing, despite being pressed all around him about considering being a spokesman, or rather a spokesduck, for various products, kept an eye out for his brother. He couldn't help but smile to himself as he watched how easily Nosedive slid into a crowd of a younger generation, some brightening up while others looked at him curiously. It was good to see his brother acting almost normal.

Despite the festivities, Wildwing couldn't help but feel a bit tense. Everything was so carefree that he knew in the back of his mind that something big was going down. He could only hope that it wasn't going to be Dragaunus.

X

A line of the delivery people was making its way to the service elevators to bring food up to the twentieth floor. Many trays contained food that was already cooked while some contained food that was to be prepared by the cooks and caterers that were helping to host the ball. Two of the men in the back of the line waited until their peers filled the elevator, and when the door closed, they quickly headed to another room. They abandoned their rolling carts inside the room, swapping out with empty ones that looked the same, and headed back to the kitchens to the delivery truck to fill up their carts. When the door closed, the cloths that draped over the rolling carts were pulled, revealing four lithe and compact men who were hiding carefully. They slipped out and made their way to the door. Making sure it was secure and locked, they then moved towards one of the air vents.

All four men looked similar, as three of them were triplets and the other a cousin. Richard had hired them due to their skills in acrobatics, contortionism, and magic tricks. While they did perform in minor carnivals and beach side festivities, it was not their interest to remain in show biz. They much rather enjoyed the thrill of conning people. And stealing. Luck was on their side as the rest of their family was dead and only one of the triplets had been adopted, no one was around to tell police how many of them there were. The other two and the cousin had slipped through the cracks of the system and lived in the streets, found their missing brother, and began the biggest con of all. With one or two brother in very public places during any heists, the only one with a name and a family to trace him back to was never convicted of any crimes. As far as the public records knew, Jun Rei was an only child. Only Sawyer knew the truth and just called them Brothers.

One hoisted his brother onto his shoulders, allowing the other to access the vent. He pulled himself up and wriggled his way in. Shortly afterwards, he extended his hand down to help his brethren up. One by one, the brothers and cousin made their way into the air vent. Inside, they separated into different shafts, each having their own destination.

X

A security guard watched as another truck of supplies arrived and docked in the trucking bay of the building. He began to make his way to it when another guard arrived.

"Break time," he said. "I'll get this."

"Sure thing." The guard left to take the break he needed.

The newcomer watched him go and then turned to the truck driver and the attendant that was helping to pull up the docking ramp. They nodded at each other and opened the back.

Sawyer stepped out from the back of the truck, followed by the rest of crew.

"We're in guys. You know what to do."

X

Nosedive glanced towards his brother as the young adults near him giggled and chuckled. He couldn't help but grin as he waved at Wildwing, letting him know he was okay and actually enjoying himself. He turned back to his group and tried to catch up on whatever story the next person had begun to tell. He was able to see Tanya and Mallory from where he was standing, and he couldn't help but feel awe when he thought about how good each one looked. He also waved at them, throwing a wink at Tanya, laughing to himself when she blushed.

He let out one happy sigh. These past few days had been great, the fear of Dragaunus miniscule. Too bad things couldn't be like this more often.

X

When Richard saw the camera lights stop blinking, he made his move across the hall. Jarrod followed after him. Moving their way into the security room, they carefully avoided the prone figures of the two watchmen lying on the ground.

Gene was controlling the system, one of the acrobatic brothers standing next to him.

"The others?" Richard asked.

"Already setting up some charges. Smokey called. Seems the Feds have the area surrounded. And Fred says they only have about six men here, him included. "

"Perfect. Tell them to start in five minutes."

X

Canard smiled and excused himself from the clingy female that had been gushing all over him. Looking around, he spotted Wildwing talking to a few more people. Making his way to him, he couldn't help but roll his eyes in fond exasperation as he caught Wildwing keep glancing at Dive's direction.

"Relax, Wing," he said to him as he threw an arm around Wing's shoulders. He looked and waved in the direction of Nosedive. "We're in the same room and he's not a small hatchling that can be picked up and carried away. Nothing is going to happen in here."

He failed to notice the quick look of irritation that passed through Wing's face.

The white mallard had composed himself by the time Canard turned to face him.

"I know, Canard," he said wearily. "It's just that it's become…habitual. I just need to make sure that he's okay."

"You're gonna worry yourself sick like that, Wing. And then it'll be Nosedive you'll be making feel worried."

Canard removed his arm from Wildwing's shoulders. "Just chill for the evening."

X

Jarrod watched as Gene set up his lap top to monitor the actions of the rest of the team. He grinned as the final touches were made and Sawyer handed him a remote with nine buttons. He wished he could see what the Director has set up to start the distraction.

X

The FBI agents grew restless when they saw that no one was approaching the supposed site of the deal. The field was barren.

No one realized that there was a small access hidden underneath a large bush that also hid a small black sports car. The men Sawyer had dubbed Mole and Director stepped out from the underground access point.

Mole got on his phone and sent a text message, not taking the chance that the FBI equipment would catch his voice signals.

A moment later, a message came through from Smokey.

MEMBERS SPOTTED. PROCEED.

Mole looked at Director and gave him a nod.

The weathered looking man grinned and set up his own remote station. Pressing a button, the car came to life. Another button pushed as the front side of the "bush" dropped down. Another button and the car sped forward. One more button and the sounds of gunfire and sparks came from the car.

Gunfire began to erupt from around the area as gang members who were arriving to intercept the merchandise thought that they had been outed or betrayed. The Feds, having been surrounded by the gang members, found themselves firing back in self defense at the unexpected ambush.

Mole and Director dropped back into the underground access, heading back to their rendezvous point.

On top of a building, only two away from where the ball was being held, Smokey and Arms chuckled as they could hear the distant gunfire.

"Guess the Director's movie tricks worked."

"Yeah. With everyone running to that place, they'll be too slow in responding to this place."

X

Wildwing took a sip from the punch at the table. His eyes roamed the room and he swore to himself that this would be the last time. Canard was at the other end of the buffet table filling up his plate. Phil was schmoozing with some more potential saps… clients. Duke had been dancing with some girl who looked barely legal and was now headed to the restrooms. The girls were still surrounded by admiring young men. And Dive was also surrounded by a group of younger people. Things were fine.

Wildwing let out a huge sigh and almost slammed his cup down.

 _Okay, Wing_ , he told himself. _Time to just enjoy the rest of this party._

He watched as a couple of security men collected the money off the of the donation table, putting them in cloth bags with locks on the zippers. One of them smiled at Wing as they passed by towards the elevator.

"My kids are huge fans. We go to every public event you guys do."

"Thank you," responded Wing, as the two guards stepped into the hotel.

Putting on a smile, Wing headed towards the nearest group of human females that looked like they wanted to dance and were just waiting to be asked.

A split second later, three faint consecutive explosions could be heard from below, followed by three more from the level they were in.

X

"What in Sam's Hill?" Agent Belle tore the earpiece off of her head as she looked up at second in command.

"There is no sign of any arms dealer, but a gang war just broke out with our men in the middle. And our men at the hotel just sent in word that explosions just occurred from within the building."

"Call the locals and call for medical help."

X

Klegghorn sighed and rolled his eyes. "No Carol," he said. "He's seventeen and in a couple weeks you won't have much legal claim over him. If he wants to come back to California and study at the police academy here then let him… Carol, don't go forcing your views on him. That's what makes him act up like you say he does… He's a good kid! The fact that he wants to become a cop says a lot about his character!... Carol… Carol… No, I'm not against you. I never have been. I just disagreed with a lot of your views. Carol… I'm a busy man…"

Hurt and anger filled Klegghorn's eyes. "Then why do you keep calling? If that didn't change while we were married, do you really think it'll change now that we're not together? I'll talk to Danny, but if he's already made his mind I won't be able to convince him to stay in New York with you." Klegghorn hung up with an aggravated sigh.

He stood up and grabbed his coat.

Klegghorn was turning off the lights to his cubicle when the phone on his desk rang again. For a brief moment, he contemplated letting it ring, wondering if it was his ex calling back. But his sense of ethic morals won once again and he answered.

"Captain Klegghorn speaking."

"Captain! We just got word from the feds that someone just bombed Extravagant Resort and they need all the help they can get."

Extravagant Resort? Where the Charity Ball was being held? Weren't the feathered menaces also there?

"Oh, fer crying out loud. Why is it that those blasted ducks are always in the middle of something like this! I'm on my way." Klegghorn slammed the phone down, threw on his coat, and rushed out. "I pity the fool that'll take over when I retire," he muttered.

X

Grin winced in pain as he tried to move. It took him a few seconds to realize that his leg was pinned by two large wooden beams, and a sofa of all things, presumably from the twenty first level.

He slowly pushed them up and over, making sure that the movement wasn't going to cause more debris to fall on top of him… or the moaning humans around him.

Looking around he realized that we was trapped near the kitchens

"Are you okay?" he asked a man dressed as one of the servers.

"I think so. Not so sure about those two." He pointed to two men who were slumped against the wall behind the buffet table.

"Can you move them to safety?"

The man narrowed his eyes. "You look like you can do that on your own. Or is that your subtle way of trying to get me out of here as well?"

Grin gave the human a surprised look. Despite being a server, the man spoke in the same manner and tone Mallory would often take when she was ready for a fight. Made him wonder just who was this person.

X

Wildwing and Canard stood up coughing. The explosions closest to them had shattered the glass on one side, and several people ran out there having no other place to go. From where they were standing, access to the elevator was completely cut off, although using that would have been fool hardy.

"Dive!" Wing coughed out, looking around and seeing that he had been separated from his brother.

Canard glanced around and noticed that there was a door outside near the pool, and several of the people were making their way towards it. At least the owner was prepared with emergency stairwells.

"Wing, let's go! We need to get out of here and make a plan!" Canard ordered, switching over into his battle gear and pulling on Wildwing's arm.

"No! Dive's in there!"

"And so is the rest of our team! We need to get outside and evaluate the situation and calculate the risks. We don't know what's going on here!"

"Then you go out there!" snapped Wing, catching Canard off guard. "My brother is in there and I'm going after him, with or without you!"

"Wing! Wing!" Canard shouted after his second in command. He swore to himself and scrambled after the distraught duck. "Would you at least switch gears?"

X

Tanya and Mallory coughed as they stood up, dresses covered in dust and some edges torn. Both of them switched into battle gear, ready for any confrontation.

Without another word, they rushed forward to begin saving the innocent people that were trapped underneath the room's ceiling. As they pulled off debris from on top of people, they realized that the damage done by the explosives had separated them from the rest of their team.

"Do you think Dragaunus had anything to do with this?" asked Tanya, as she pulled a frightened young man to his feet.

Mallory shook her head as she pointed to the nearest exit for the man. "It has a human weapons feel to it. If it were him, we'd be seeing droids right about now."

"Man, I'm sure Klegghorn will love to know he's dealing with a normal baddie then," Tanya chuckled half heartedly.

Mallory snorted. "He won't be happy until we're not involved, period!"

"Think the others are okay?"

"We'll go look for them in a moment. Gotta make sure no one is left here without help."

X

"Oh, Mother of Hockey," coughed Duke, as he pushed himself up to his knees. He had just come out of the bathrooms when the explosions knocked him back against the walls.

"Are you okay?" he could hear Nosedive asking someone from somewhere to his left.

"My ankle!" cried out a female voice.

"You?"

"My arm hurts, but I think I can move," replied a scared young man's voice.

Duke was about to make his way to the three when he felt a sense of danger fill the room. Using the cover of the smoke and dust, he stayed hidden in the shadows, keeping an eye out on Dive.

Six men walked in from the emergency stairwell near the bathrooms, holding automatic weapons.

"Listen up," said the one in the lead. Any valuables you have on you, it's best to put them into this here bag." The man threw a duffel bag onto the floor.

Duke felt his stomach dropped as he recognized the leader.

He could also see that Dive saw him, too, judging by the stiffening of his posture.

Unfortunately, judging by the cruel smirk on the man's face, he recognized Dive too.

"Well, look who it is," the man grunted, reaching down and grabbing Dive by the hair.

Dive winced but remained silent, glaring at the man he knew as Jarod Hinks.

"Blondie… long time no see." The man raised his gun, tapping Dive's beak twice and before leaving it resting on the top of his beak, pointing to his forehead. Dive did his best to not flinch, instead staring into Hinks eyes.

Hinks smirked once more.

"I really would like to put a bullet in you right now… but I'm suppose to keep you alive for some unknown reason."

Hinks reached down and grabbed Dive by the collar and hauled him up. "Someone tie him up. Securely! The little punk seems to have the devil's luck."

Duke switched to battle mode. "Oh man… Wing's gonna have my hide for this one."

X

"What is going on here?" Klegghorn asked himself as he began to bark out orders over his radio. Most of his men were headed towards Extravagant Resort since his men needed to secure the area before paramedics could go in and retrieve any injured. More of his men were on their way to the shoot out occurring in a vacant lot a couple blocks back.

One of the other divisions was staying behind to catch any calls that could come in while they were dealing with the situation.

As he approached Extravagant Resort, he rooted in the glove department to grab the communicator the Ducks had given to him. He was tempted to leave it… but something kept him from letting go of it.

X

"I need stats, people!" Agent Belle hollered into her mic.

"Teams are separated on the inside. Lost communications with those closest to the blasts. Parts of the building have caved in keeping us from reaching potential victims. Some of the emergency stairwells have been hit as well. And we have people stranded on the twentieth floor."

"Report as soon as you find any clues as to who was responsible!"

"We need backup!"

Belle cursed as she lost the only connections she had with her inside team. Looking up she could see some approaching cop cars and fire trucks.

"About time," she muttered, as she made her way to the road block.

Captain Klegghorn was one of the first ones to arrive.

"What is going on here?" bellowed Klegghorn as he got out of his car.

"What took you?" Belle snapped back.

"I just had to divide my force into two to back yer people up! Why were you separated into two groups in the first place? And why is one of them all the way out in some shootout with gang members?"

Belle let out an exasperated sigh. "Your chief knows. We received a tip that there was going to be an arms deal being made not far from this resort. Most of my men were staked in the supposed spot. My boss figured it would be best to put a few men here in case the situation escalated and the dealers would use this place for target practice. Thing is, no one actually showed up. Except for the gang bangers who had also heard the rumors."

Klegghorn looked at the hotel. "So why was this place blown up?"

"We think this was the real target and the 'deal' was just a set up to get us out of the way." Belle looked at the ruined hotel. "We don't know how stable the structure is, and I've lost contact with my men inside."

Klegghorn frowned and reached into his pocket, pulling out the communicator. "Er… let me try." He pressed a button and waited. Two seconds later, it beeped in response.

"Klegghorn, is that you?" A fuzzy image of Canard pulled up on the small screen.

"What's your stat?"

"With Wing. Team split up but on our end there are no causalities. We're trying to clear some debris to meet up with our team. We're stranded on the outside portion of the twentieth floor. What is going on?"

Belle gave Klegghorn a sour look and the captain sighed.

"Listen, I don't go asking for their help and they seem to find trouble on their own… and right now they are the only help we've got and they're a reliable flock of birds. They'll get to your people and any victims."

Agent Belle frowned but nodded.

"Canard, a shooting out here seemed to be a diversionary tactic for whatever happened in the hotel. Be careful. We're not sure of the purpose of the attack and if the ones responsible are still in the building. We are uncertain of the stability of the building, but we need to get people out and see if we can find some answers."

"Got it. We'll get people out as fast as possible and see if we can find any answers. Canard, out."

Klegghorn closed his communicator, his poker face hiding the nervousness he was feeling in trusting the alien ducks. After all, he had spent almost a year trying to find reasons to imprison them.

X

"Wildwing, stop and think about what you're doing! I don't think you're being very reasonable right now, especially since Dive is somewhere in there." Canard dodged another piece of rubble that Wing tossed back.

The white mallard was sitting on top of a very unstable pile of rubble, but it was the only one that gave a glimpse to the other side and Wing was doing his best to make the hole bigger.

Wildwing turned to face Canard. "I am being more than reasonable. Either let me go my own way or follow me, but don't stop me, Canard!"

"You know I can't let you go on your own, Wing. We've learned the dangers of that."

"Then shut up and let me find my brother."

There was a tense moment of silence and Wildwing felt his resolve dwindle as he stared down at the emotionless mask Canard wore. Did he look just as intimidating when he used to wear it?

Canard sighed and removed the mask, staring hard at Wing.

"Okay. If you're so insistent, at least borrow the mask for this." Canard held out the mask.

Wildwing warily reached down for it, but when he went to pull it away, Canard held on tight.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Wing… but that brother of yours better need our help. Because if we go in there and he turns out to be okay and us in trouble, I'm gonna beat you down myself. And if we're both fine, I'll do worse. I'll rat you out to your brother that you had no confidence in him and let you deal with the tantrum he'll be bound to throw." Canard let go of the mask and Wildwing nodded, taking Canard's words seriously.

"Then lead the way, Wing."

X

Grin watched as the last few people that were trapped with him headed to safety. He had lucked out that the stairwell connected to the kitchen area was standing solid. The only one still standing with him was the server who had identified himself as FBI agent Federico Mendoza.

"Why aren't you following them?" the agent was asking, in a demanding way.

"My friends are still in there."

"But you're a civilian… sort of. My job is to make sure you're safe!"

"Then make sure I'm safe as I look for my friends." Grin headed back into the disaster area as the agent screamed in frustration.

"I pity the fools that deal with you daily!"

X

Duke quietly tailed the men as they rounded up several of the teens, picking and choosing specific ones once they learned their names.

"What should we do with the rest?" one of the men asked.

"They're our ticket out," responded Hinks. "They're expendable. You three stay behind to take care of them."

Several of the girls began to cry while the boys trembled in fear.

Duke was torn between following Hinks and his men and staying behind to help the unfortunate teens escape. He was pretty sure that if Wing were next to him, he would order him to rescue Dive. But Dive didn't like being underestimated, and if they had had a chance to make a plan before being carted away, Dive would have opted for Duke to rescue the teens first.

"Oh, boy… Wing is really gonna kill me for this."

Duke waited until the men and hostages were out of sight, going down the stairs they had used. The remaining three men holstered their guns.

"Babysitting a bunch of brats born with silver spoons in their mouths. Figures." One of the men spit on the ground as looked at the kids.

"Nice dress," said another one to a girl wearing a mini dress. "How much you paid for that beaut? Huh? Two hundred? Three? Well?"

"T-two thousand," the girl whispered.

The man smiled. "Two thousand, huh?" Then he scowled and pointed his automatic at her. "You know what a normal person can do with two thousand? I hate little insolent brats like you that throw money away like that! You think you can walk on the backs of normal people because you have more money than them!"

The girl began to cry even more as the man waved his weapon in front of her face.

"It's not nice to make a lady cry."

The three men whirled around looking for the source of the voice.

A moment later, two of them were knocked out by two hockey pucks to the head. The third, the one who was waving his gun in front of the girl, reeled back in shock as a figure with a glowing red eye landed in front of him.

Duke swung out his saber, cutting the weapon in half, and then threw a punch, knocking the guy out.

"Well, that was easy," Duke commented to himself.

He turned to the scared teens. "You guys okay?"

They nodded and cautiously stood up.

"Follow me. I'll get you out."

X

Wildwing sighed in frustration as he tried to raise Dive on the com unit.

"Maybe the blast messed with the reception?" Canard suggested.

Canard watched as Wing gave him a look. Well, he could only assume it was a look.

 _Do I look like that when I wear the mask?_ Canard asked himself. He turned back and continued prying and dislodging debris.

"Hey, we were pretty clear of heavy dust, and same with Klegghorn. I'm pretty sure if stuff gets inside these units, it might mess with them. Just keep trying some of the others as well."

X

Mallory and Tanya were able to gather most of the people in their area. However, they were in a spot that the people had to climb out to get to a possible escape route. Five of the people were too injured to go climbing however.

"Any luck?" asked Mallory.

Tanya shook her head as she opened the casing of her com unit. "Dust got into them." She blew at her com unit. "It's shorting out the wires. I don't have anything to really clean them out… but I think I can get them working again in a moment."

Mallory helped splint the leg of one of the injured men.

"Just what is going on in here?" he asked, clearly in pain.

"We're not sure, sir. But we are attempting to find out.

"Hah!" she heard Tanya exclaim. "Got through to Duke!"

"Any ideas?"

Tanya looked at her. "They were after the money. And hostages for ransom. They've got Dive."

Mallory let out a tired sigh. "Let's try to rescue him before Wing finds out."

A moment later, the sound of falling debris caught their attention.

"Who's there?" she called out.

"Mal?"

"Canard?"

X

Alarms were sounding loudly through the halls and stairwells of the hotel. On the eighth floor, he had to redirect the people into the hallway to seek out another emergency exit. The stairs leading down were broken and unstable, and he could smell the smoke of gun powder.

As the last of the humans made their way through the door, movement from down below caught his attention.

"What is it?" asked Agent Mendoza, stepping back through the door when he noticed that Grin didn't follow.

"Shhh." Grin pushed the man back against the wall, hand covering the agent's mouth to keep him silent. Even though the alarms were loud, he didn't want to risk being heard. Peering over the edge, Grin could see a trail of people heading to the lower levels. Two in the front carried guns, as well as the one in the back. What really caught his attention was that the one in the back was holding onto Nosedive, who was immobilized by the looks of it.

"Well," said Grin. "I found one of my friends."

"Call him over," grunted the agent as he pushed back Grin's hand away.

"He's a bit tied up."

"What?"

"Three armed goons were leading a bunch of kids down the stairs, my little buddy among them."

"A kidnapping? This doesn't make sense! This charity ball was supposed to go without a hitch and with all the danger happening a few blocks from here!"

Mendoza pulled out a phone and looked at it. "Still no signal. This evening just keeps getting better and better."

"It's good that you remain optimistic. Let's go."

"Wait… what… where?"

Grin leapt from the steps to the level below, bypassing the damaged steps.

"You have got to be kidding…" The agent climbed over the railing and jumped as well.

X

Hinks was certain he heard something land on the steps above him as he pushed his hostage through the door. He grinned when he saw three more of his people were waiting for him. He nodded towards the door and one nodded in return as the other two joined them to escort the prisoners.

X

Mallory and Tanya dusted themselves off. The hole that Canard and Wing had been working on had been made large enough to safely escort people through, including the injured ones.

And while they wanted to tell Wing about his brother, the fact that he was wearing the mask made them question their decision.

Something had happened for Canard to give up the mask, but seeing that the tan mallard was unharmed, they couldn't figure out what.

Not that it bothered them. It felt like old times seeing him standing there looking so sure of himself.

"Canard, Tanya, you two lead the people down to the first level. We need to make sure they get there safely. Once there, Tanya, I need you to get to the Aerowing to assist with getting people trapped in the upper levels with no way out. Canard, use the communicator from Migrator to contact us. The signal should be strong enough regardless of the situation. Mallory and I will continue to look for the rest of our team."

Mallory took a deep breath. "Duke was able to communicate with us not too long ago. It seems that Dive was taken with a bunch of kids to be hostages."

Wing's fists tightened up as he shot a look at Canard.

Canard frowned at him.

"He's a tough kid, Wing. Don't lose focus."

"Any other information?"

"Duke is escorting a bunch of other kids that were going to be used as shields."

"He left Dive?"

"They were going to be held captive, sir. The ones that Duke is escorting now were meant to be killed once they served their purpose. He had no choice."

Wing sighed but had to agree with Duke's decision. He was glad that the mallard was left to make up his decision on his own because Wing knew he wouldn't have been rational had he been in the same situation.

Then he noticed that Tanya was fidgeting.

"You have something else to add?" he asked her.

"Duke said Jarrod Hinks was involved."

"Hinks? Then that means…" Wing's voice came out hoarse. "Dragaunus may have something to do with this."

TBC…

**In the Next Episode of The Mighty Ducks:**

Dive slowly worked at the ropes that bound his wrists together. So far he had been lucky that the most Hinks had done was just point his gun at him and dragged him through the tunnels. The way the man was holding him also kept his wrists out of Hinks's sight.

He kept twisting his wrists, hoping to loosen them enough to be able to activate the tracker on his wrist watch.

While they were going down the stairs, his mind was filled with possible escape plans for himself and his fellow hostages. His concern grew when they went into the basement and entered a tunnel that was supported with very familiar structures.

X

Canard sat down in front of the Migrator's controls. He reached over to try to hail Wing when he felt as if someone was staring at him from behind.

"It's almost time," he heard a whisper.

"Y-yea." Canard didn't turn around, his body tense, and his pupils contracting as he recalled something.

"You know what to do."

Canard's hands curled into fists.

"Yeah."

X

Nosedive managed to free his wrist from his binds, and moving his hands upwards, he activated his battle suit.

"Down!" shouted Dive as he pulled out his puck blaster and shot at the one ahead while he used his shield to block the shots fired from the man behind. The teens had all ducked and scrambled to the sides of the tunnel as Dive knocked out one man and then turned the blaster on the other, knocking him out as well.


	2. Part 2: Resignation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ducks and Klegghorn attempt to track Nosedive while trying to keep the hostage situation under control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slight delay. Mean for this to come up a bit earlier.

_Previously on The Mighty Ducks: SCP_

_"Guys!" Phil said, full of enthusiasm. "We have been invited to the biggest, best party for people like us! It's the Anaheim Annual Charity Event!"_

_"Charity?" asked Duke. "Since when do you care about charity?"_

_"Hey, I'm a good guy at heart!"_

_"Yeah, but usually your events involve us giving our time. Not money."_

_X_

_Jarrod straightened up. "I've worked with Sawyer for years. The only time I ended up in jail was to test someone else and he used his resources to break me free. After this job, if you guys don't want to stay on board, it'll be your choice to walk away with your earnings. We won't demand anything else of you. Unless you betray us, of course. Go your own way or follow us. Take this opportunity to decide whether to trust each other or not."_

_"What is it you want us to do?" asked one of the smaller framed men._

_Richard grinned._

_X_

_Sawyer looked around one more time before turning to Dragaunus._

_"Do you mind if I ask why you need so many cameras?"_

_"Just using a technique that's been used by all great teams."_

_X_

_Putting on a smile, Wing headed towards the nearest group of human females that looked like they wanted to dance and were just waiting to be asked._

_A split second later, three faint consecutive explosions could be heard from below, followed by three more from the level they were in._

_X_

_Hinks smirked at Nosedive._

_"I really would like to put a bullet in you right now… but I'm suppose to keep you alive for some unknown reason."_

_Hinks reached down and grabbed Dive by the collar and hauled him up. "Someone tie him up. Securely! The little punk seems to have the devil's luck."_

_Duke switched to battle mode. "Oh man… Wing's gonna have my hide for this one."_

_X_

_"Okay. If you're so insistent, at least borrow the mask for this." Canard held out the mask._

_Wildwing warily reached down for it, but when he went to pull it away, Canard held on tight._

_"Don't take this the wrong way, Wing… but that brother of yours better need our help. Because if we go in there and he turns out to be okay and us in trouble, I'm gonna beat you down myself. And if we're both fine, I'll do worse. I'll rat you out to your brother that you had no confidence in him and let you deal with the tantrum he'll be bound to throw." Canard let go of the mask and Wildwing nodded, taking Canard's words seriously._

_"Then lead the way, Wing."_

_X_

_"You have something else to add?" he asked her._

_"Duke said Jarrod Hinks was involved."_

_"Hinks? Then that means…" Wing's voice came out hoarse. "Dragaunus may have something to do with this."_  
  
X

Leadership Part 2: Resignation

Dragaunus watched the screens with avid interest. A cruel smile crossed his face as he could see the blasted ducks were all separated.

He felt a dark presence behind him, and he turned to face it.

Nightbloom stood behind him, cloaked in her dark robes, face partially hidden.

"You requested my presence?"

"Just showing you my plan," Dragaunus responded.

Nightbloom stepped forward and looked at the screen. "What is the purpose of so many cameras?"

"Just taking an example from them. How can I possibly stand a chance to beat them if I don't study their every move and learn their weaknesses and strengths?"

Nightbloom took a step back. "I see. 'Learn thy enemy' is probably one of the best techniques that can be used. I will acknowledge the ingenuity of this plan."

"So will you help me now?"

Nightbloom shook her head. "It won't be a complete victory for you if I do, Sir Dragaunus. This is your plan. Execute it as you will and enjoy the success that may come to pass. My involvement will only taint your stories in years to come as the Saurian Overlord that had to rely on a female to help."

Dragaunus snorted. "I suppose you're right. I never realized you really did know your place, woman."

Nightbloom gave a simple nod. "But I will mention it one last time… I heavily caution against retrieving Nosedive. There is no way for me to help in bringing Darkflame back. And I doubt your mage has the power to do so as well."

Dragaunus snarled. "We'll see about that!"

Nightbloom turned and walked out of the room.

X

Grin almost tripped over a human as he cautiously opened the door the gunmen and kids had gone through.

"Agent Stone!" hissed Mendoza, as he made his way to the prone figure dressed up as a security guard.

The man groaned as Mendoza flipped him over. "What happened?"

"The money… they took the money."

"What?"

"With the explosion, the elevator stopped. We got off but… it was an inside job. Harley attacked me. I tried to follow but he got the drop on me here."

Mendoza swore. "I can't get a hold of Agent Belle to alert her. C'mon. Seems more is at stake here than the money. He saw a group of kids being led away." The agent reached down to help Stone up while motioning to Grin with his head.

A moment later, Mendoza was pushed to the floor as Grin's hand wrapped around Stone's hand, holding a gun in place.

"Cripes! Let go!" shouted Stone, in pain.

Mendoza's eyes widened. "Barney! What…"

The "injured" man looked very much able as he flailed around, trying to get Grin to let go. The quiet duck removed the gun and then delivered a punch that knocked the agent out cold.

"It seems he was only telling half truths," said Grin. "I'll bet the Stanley cup he was the inside man."

"Unbelievable…"

X

Dive slowly worked at the ropes that bound his wrists together. So far he had been lucky that the most Hinks had done was just point his gun at him and dragged him through the tunnels. The way the man was holding him also kept his wrists out of Hinks's sight.

He kept twisting his wrists, hoping to loosen them enough to be able to activate the tracker on his wrist watch.

While they were going down the stairs, his mind was filled with possible escape plans for himself and his fellow hostages. His concern grew when they went into the basement and entered a tunnel that was supported with very familiar structures.

It almost reminded him of the Raptor, and with Hinks being involved, it was certain Dragaunus was also involved.

Nosedive knew his limitations, and while he felt confident in confronting the gunmen, he was very much afraid of the thought of meeting Dragaunus face to face all alone.

He felt the rope give way and Dive quickly pressed a button on his communicator watch. He could only hope that one of his team mates would receive the signal.

X

Canard boarded the Migrator while Tanya was outside, waiting for the Aerowing to arrive. He turned on the communicator and the panels, trying to locate all of the team. He had to admit that Wildwing wasn't a military leader, but he was a team leader nonetheless, and a capable one at that. Canard sighed as he realized he should have never retaken control like he did. The team was working like a well oiled machine and his reintroduction threw a wrench in the plans. Sure he was able to make the team work again, but it would have been easier if he had allowed Wing to keep control.

At least that's what he thought.

He reached over to try to hail Wing when he felt as if someone was staring at him from behind.

"It's almost time," he heard a whisper.

"Y-yea." Canard didn't turn around, his body tense, and his pupils contracting as he recalled something.

"You know what to do."

Canard's hands curled into fists.

"Yeah."

"This meeting never happened. Forget about my involvement until I say otherwise."

The presence was gone and Canard was able to breathe again. He shook his head, feeling as if he had fallen asleep and woke up suddenly. What was he thinking again?

That's right. He was thinking of what he was going to do with the team's dynamics. It was time to make some changes, because he couldn't help but feel that it would make things easier later on. After all, he had disappeared once from the picture. If something should happen again…

A sudden bleep caught his attention and he looked at one of the screens. Nosedive's ID number was flashing, and he could see a small dot moving. Canard gave a start when he realized that the dot passed right through where the Migrator was parked at. He leapt out and looked around, seeing no one. Then he looked down.

"What's wrong?" asked Tanya, having been startled by his abrupt appearance.

"They're underground!"

Canard leapt back onto the Migrator and hailed all at once, hoping that they all would be able to hear him.

"The kid is underground! We need everyone on the bottom level ASAP!"

"Grin here. I'm already attempting to tail them. The entrance is in the basement."

"I'm close by," came Duke's voice. "I just released a bunch of other kids on the first floor."

"Grin, Duke, meet up and go after Dive. We'll catch up!" ordered Wing.

"Wing, we can probably access the sewers and try to locate them."

"Tanya, cancel the Aerowing and go with Canard."

Canard stepped out of the Migrator.

"You've got some explosive pucks, right?"

Tanya nodded.

X

Agent Belle sneered as Agent Stone was brought to her.

"Are you going to tell me what is going on?"

Stone just gave her a steady look.

"Take this filth away."

Klegghorn came up to her.

"I just got word from the Ducks. The money being collected was the target, as well as hostages for ransom. The Ducks are attempting to follow them as we speak."

"What? How many hostages?"

"The number is unknown. But one of them is from their team."

"Curses!"

X

"We got trouble," said Gene, as they were packing up their supplies to make their getaway.

"What is it?" asked Sawyer.

"Seems those Ducks are trying to play heroes. We got at least two entering the entrance. The other two seem to be heading down that way as well."

"Tell the team to stand ready to engage. And don't forget Lord Dragaunus will offer an award for any duck we take out… barring our hostage of course."

X

Grin and Duke paused as they reached a fork in the tunnels.

"Wing, Canard, we got a problem," Duke said. "Tunnels have been constructed here and we don't know which way to head."

"I'm uploading the map and Dive's position," said Tanya. "We won't have a map of the tunnel system, but it should give you a general direction of which way to go."

"Guys, be careful," added Wing. "We don't know how many people are involved, and when Dragaunus might show up."

"There are also a lot of cameras. They may already know we're here."

Canard's voice came in through next. "Tanya and I are going to try to cut them off using the sewer system itself. Assuming they are onto us, we two might be the only element of surprise left."

X

Sawyer's men gathered at the entrance.

"I've already alerted Hinks to the situation. Director, Arms, Smokey, and Mole are already at our rendezvous point, waiting for them. Hinks will be sending the hostages further up ahead while he and some of his men stay behind to ambush those ducks. I want you Brothers to stay here and wait for the other two ducks to come through and then follow. We'll go in and attack the first group from behind. Signal us so we know when to expect the others."

X

Nosedive felt apprehensive as he could hear the communications between Hinks and his boss. His brother and team mates were going to walk into a trap. He had to find a way to alert them. And then he got his break. Hinks and a couple others were going to stay behind, leaving him not as well guarded. Only Hinks had personally been in combat against him, so the others wouldn't know what to expect.

As Hinks spoke with the others, Nosedive leaned over and whispered to a few of the teens.

"I need you to do me a favor. When we move again, block me from both sides. I'm gonna get loose and as soon as I do, I need you guys to do what I say."

"What if they shoot us?" asked one of the teens.

"Trust me. I'll protect you guys. Just stay in front and behind me and form a wall."

"My family will sue if you end up getting us killed."

Nosedive bit back the urge to sigh.

"Well then if I get us killed I won't have to worry now, will I."

Hinks then spoke to the two that were remaining behind. "Make sure the duck remains alive. Otherwise Dragon man might eat you guys or something."

"Yeah, yeah."

Nosedive felt a cold sweat form, getting the confirmation of his worst fears. Dragon man could be no one other than Dragaunus. He had to get out before they reached the end of the path.

Hinks and his men began to move back from the direction they came from as the group of hostages was prodded on ahead. The teens moved closer together, forming a wall and blocking the gunmen's view of Nosedive.

Nosedive managed to free his wrist from his binds, and moving his hands upwards, he activated his battle suit.

"Down!" shouted Dive as he pulled out his puck blaster and shot at the one ahead while he used his shield to block the shots fired from the man behind. The teens had all ducked and scrambled to the sides of the tunnel as Dive knocked out one man and then turned the blaster on the other, knocking him out as well.

Dive shook his hand that held shield. "Whew, gotta remember to thank Tanya for the upgrades," he muttered.

"That was… wicked cool," said one of the kids as he stood up.

"Aren't the other guys gonna come back?" asked another one.

Dive nodded. "Most likely. Everyone get back."

Dive had everyone move to one side as he set his blaster's setting to an explosive puck. He looked around and noticed some condensation on the wall about six inches above him. He aimed at it and fired.

A hole formed and the group was hit with a blast of rancid smells as they were sprayed with foul smelling liquid.

Dive did his best not to gag unlike the others. "Guys, we're gonna have to get dirty."

"You want us to go into the sewer?"

"It's that or face those other guys."

"I hope my mom replaces my shoes."

Dive motioned for the teens to move closer as he began to help them up into the opening. He couldn't help but wonder how Dragaunus managed to build the tunnels alongside the sewer system without getting caught. It had to have taken some skill.

X

Wing and Mallory nodded to one another and made their way into the tunnel's entrance, the feathers on the back of their necks rising. They had arrived in time to hear Sawyer's plan and watched as the others hid to wait for them.

The two pulled back and had communicated with the others. Duke and Grin were already sandwiched between the two groups and Wing knew they would have to time it so that they ended up backing each other up instead of being ambushed.

Canard and Tanya were fast approaching the hostages according to their sensors. He could only hope that Canard would do his best to make sure Nosedive was unharmed.

Wildwing eyed the cameras warily.

He couldn't help but wonder who was watching. Was it Sawyer or some of his men? Or Dragaunus?

X

Dragaunus clenched his jaw when he saw Nosedive disappear from view. The blonde duck was resourceful; he had to admit that much. But he was close to being back in his grasp and he wasn't about to let the chance slip.

He whirled around, intent on heading over to retrieve the duck personally. As he walked out of the monitoring room, he encountered Wraith.

"My lord?" Wraith asked.

"Out of my way," growled Dragaunus, leaving behind a confused henchman.

X

Hinks swore as he stepped out into the sewer.

"Hinks," came Sawyer's voice over his radio. "You get back to your position and get ready to engage the others. We'll catch up to the hostages later, you hear me?"

"Sorry, boss man, but I have had it with that blonde brat! I just know he's responsible for this! I'm gonna find him and shoot his kneecaps!"

"Curse you, Hinks! The lizard man said minimum damage! Leave the kid alone and let's take care of the others first!"

"Minimum damage to me means as long as he's alive. The duck is mine!"

"Hinks! Hinks!"

Jarrod Hinks ripped off his earpiece and threw it to the ground. He no longer cared what the others wanted. The brat was a menace that needed to be taken down.

X

"Wing! Dive is moving fast. He must have broken free or something!"

"How far ahead?"

"I think on the other side of this wall about fifteen meters and moving."

"Is there place we can run into him?

"About forty meters ahead there's a tunnel that should intercept the tunnel he's using. If we're lucky, he'll turn into it and run into us. That or he'll continue ten more meters and go up one of the access ways."

"Let's go!"

X

Captain Klegghorn watched as Agent Belle ordered her remaining men to gather witnesses and get statements, all while taking calls from her men under fire. Klegghorn also took a couple calls letting him know that the SWAT team had arrived and the situation was slowly coming under control.

And then he got a message from Wildwing.

"We're getting ready to engage the enemy. Canard and Tanya are moving to intercept Nosedive and the hostages. It seems that they got away. I'm sending you the link to Dive's unit so you can see his location. They're travelling through the sewer system."

Klegghorn acknowledged Wildwing, a bit surprised to see him taking charge again.

He saw the blip appear on his communicator and began to step away.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Agent Belle, giving him a hard look.

Klegghorn raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I heard what was said. You are not going alone. I have no more men to spare so I'm coming with you."

"Okay," Klegghorn responded with a smirk. "Are you sure? Your dainty feet might get a tad bit dirty."

"I've got a crowbar in my car, Captain. Don't make me use it on something other than prying something open."

 _A woman of action_ , he thought. _Perfect._

X

Dive kept glancing back to make sure none of the teens were left behind. "First ladder we find that leads upwards we go for it," he shouted.

"I think I see something!" shouted one girl, pointing ahead.

Dive stopped and motioned for the others to continue up ahead.

Two of the hostages were slowing down.

"Keep moving," Dive urged.

"We're not being followed," one of them said, gasping for air.

"Yeah. So we can take our time."

Nosedive gritted his teeth. "Never presume we're not being followed, man. That's how they get you."

The two groaned and continued trotting forward.

"This place reeks," they complained.

Nosedive rolled his eyes. He wondered if Wing would take it badly if he left all of them behind. Then he shook his head. Wing might forgive him, since he was on the overprotective kick. Canard on the other hand… No, either way he wasn't going to risk leaving anyone behind.

As he started moving forward, very familiar forms began to appear around them.

X

Duke glanced at Grin and nodded, finger poised over the shield button. Chances were very high that they would be ambushed with projectile weapons. But after tapping against the tunnel built, they realized that bullets would most likely ricochet off of the walls.

The shooters would be forced to stop using their weapons and rely on physical strength, assuming Duke and Grin didn't get caught in the crossfire.

They could also only hope that the information would be passed onto their teams so that Wing and Mallory didn't run into the same risk.

He could feel Grin tense up.

"Get ready," the quiet duck mumbled.

Duke turned on his saber and continued moving forward.

A moment later, they were met with a hail of bullets.

X

Wildwing glanced at Mallory, hearing the sound of gunfire up ahead. Mallory donned a gas mask as Wildwing shot out a smoking puck in both directions as he could make out the heat signatures of humans fast approaching as he scanned the tunnels.

X

The kids all screamed in fear as huge metal droids surrounded them.

"Run!" shouted Nosedive as he fired at one droid, creating an opening. He then turned and dove under another one, running in the opposite direction.

Droids meant Dragaunus, and that could only mean that he was interested in Dive. He highly doubted that the kids were worth anything and so he took his chance that the droids would follow him, leaving the kids alone.

The teens took the opportunity and scrambled over the fallen droid as the other machines turned and began to follow the duck.

X

Canard stopped as he noticed Dive's position suddenly change and begin to move fast.

"Something's wrong," he said to Tanya.

"Guys! I think Nosedive is on the run!"

"Busy here!" came Duke's voice.

"Track him!" Wing ordered.

X

Klegghorn looked down and saw that Nosedive was moving away from where he was standing.

"Let's just go in from here," said Agent Belle, inserting the crowbar she held under the manhole cover.

Both of them pushed down and opened it. They slid it to one side in time to see a terrified and dirty face of a teen peering up.

"We're saved!" he said, and they heard the excited cries of several more people.

"What happened to the duck?" Klegghorn asked, reaching for one of them.

"We don't know! These droids just attacked us and they went chasing after him!"

"That blonde duck is gonna be the end of me," Klegghorn muttered, as he got ready to relay the information to the others.

X

Nosedive shot at a couple more droids and continued running forward.

He moved his com unit up, ready to try getting in contact with his brother. A dark form moved in front of him, blocking his path.

Nosedive grunted as he crashed first into the figure, and then onto the floor.

"Going somewhere?" he heard a familiar voice ask.

Nosedive let out a gasp as he stared up at Lord Dragaunus.

Nosedive scrambled up and began to run back in the direction he had come from, just as the Saurian reached down to grab him.

"Stop or I'll shoot!" warned Dragaunus.

"Yeah, right," Nosedive shouted back, aiming his puck blaster over his shoulder and blindly firing two rounds.

Several more droids began to appear as he past them, and what he assumed was a stun blast grazed his shoulder. Nosedive could feel his arm go numb as he struggled to keep a hold of his blaster. As he passed a couple of sewer pipes, Dive decided to take his chances and go through one of them, hoping for better luck in another tunnel.

"Come back here!" he heard Dragaunus shout, as he somehow managed to scrambled into one and began running down it, wading through the ankle deep liquid that was gushing through it.

X

"If we cut through here we should come out into the tunnel Nosedive is in," said Tanya, pointing to one of the sewer pipes.

Canard gave a grim nod as he made his way to one of the pipes and hauled himself into it. He helped Tanya up as well and they began sloshing their way through it.

Canard's unit began to beep faster and he glanced down at it. "He's coming back this way at top speed," he commented.

Looking back up, he spotted a streak of white going past them. He got ready to call out for him when he heard Dragaunus's voice echoing with a "Come back here!"

Tanya and him glanced at one another and gave a quick nod as the both hurried forward to ambush ol' Lizard Lips.

X

Wildwing and Mallory attacked the ones that were supposed to attack them from behind. Although Mallory's sight was limited by the smoke, her breathing was not and she was able to see a bit better than the humans who were coughing and stumbling blindly. The smoke cleared faster than their lungs and between the two of them, they were able to make short work of the humans.

Doing their best to remain silent and not alert the humans to their positions, both Wildwing and Mallory took a flying leap and knocked out the first two with flying kicks. Mallory's military instincts kicked in and she grabbed the next person and threw him over her shoulder and into the wall. She could hear him grunt as Wildwing shot with his puck blaster, knocking the weapons out of the others' hands.

While a couple of the people were clearly not cut out for physical battle, a couple of them were and Mallory and Wildwing found themselves fighting up close.

Mallory was able to hold her ground, but Wildwing found himself having a bit of trouble. He couldn't help but feel that it was ironic… as a goalie he was able to block shots coming from a distance… but as a fighter he was having trouble keeping up with any punches and kicks coming his way.

The best he could do was to try to defend himself.

"Mallory!" he called out to her.

Mallory glanced over to him and saw his dilemma. "Be there in a moment!" she called back to him.

Mallory swept her last attacker off his feet with a low sweep. He hit the ground hard and didn't get back up, moaning.

Mallory then ran over to Wildwing and leapt into the air. Wildwing ducked and Mallory kicked out, catching Wildwing's opponent on the face.

Wildwing and Mallory panted, trying to catch their breaths.

"Ready?" he asked her, motioning ahead.

X

Duke was able to slice through a few of the guns with his sabers. Grin's size didn't keep the duck from moving fast and Grin was able to quietly move through the cluster of people, chopping at the back of their necks and pulling their weapons out of their hands. One smaller human managed to duck low enough to avoid contact, but Duke was right there to catch the guy.

Duke used his grappling gun's cable to tie up the gunmen. He sighed and wiped his forehead.

"Thought we weren't gonna make it for a moment there," he admitted.

Grin just gave him a small smile. "We were just better prepared."

X

Richard growled as he could hear the fighting going on in the two different directions. From the sounds of it, his people were losing and no matter which way he went, he would probably meet defeat as well.

"Boss?" asked one of the men.

Inwardly he couldn't help but curse Jarrod for being so foolish as to taking off for a stupid reason as revenge.

"I severely miscalculated," he said. "Call those waiting at the rendezvous and tell them to scatter. We'll take the other tunnel to the vacant lot and wait until it's clear before escaping."

"We're leaving the others behind?"

"For now. We'll get them back. We may have lost the hostages, but at least we've got the money."

X

Canard shot a puck towards Dragaunus.

As luck would have it, one of the dumb droids walked right into the path of the puck and went down, alerting Dragaunus to the attack from behind.

"Look out!" shouted Tanya, as she dodged to one side.

Dragaunus had reacted almost instantly, shooting his laser in the direction of the attack.

Canard hissed as the laser actually caught the top of his hand, causing him to drop his puck launcher.

Tanya shot back, giving Canard enough time to recover his weapon as Dragaunus dodged the puck. Diving to the ground, Canard fired several rounds as Dragaunus shouted for his droids to attack.

"To the left!" Canard shouted, noticing that one of the droids seemed to be in a blind spot for Tanya.

Although the droids were now forming a wall between them and Dragaunus, Canard could see the saurian glancing back to the direction Nosedive had run to, as if trying to make up his mind to fight or follow.

While Canard had faith that the kid could handle his own in a battle, he also knew that Nosedive probably wasn't emotionally ready to confront Dragaunus. He couldn't let him go after the young mallard.

Tanya kept glancing behind them. "Where the heck are his goons?" she asked.

Canard shook his head. "Either they're waiting for a moment to strike or they're fighting with one of the others."

"You may be winning this round," they suddenly heard Dragaunus say. "But next time may not be so easy."

Dragaunus's form wavered and then he disappeared as he teleported out of there. Canard and Tanya had to backpedal as a couple of the droids seemed to suddenly self destruct while others continued advancing forward to attack.

"Watch my back, Tanya," Canard commented as he changed direction and charged towards the oncoming droids.

Tanya took careful aim with her blaster.

X

Nosedive heard the echoing sounds of lasers and puck blasters as he ran from Dragaunus. He wanted to head back but his fear of meeting Dragaunus head on kept him from going back.

And from the sounds of it, only part of his team were fighting.

If he was able to get to the top and track the rest of his team mates, he'd be able to bring back up to whoever was currently fighting the saurian. Nosedive ducked back through one of the tunnels, leaning up against the side of the tube, arm still feeling numb.

He made his way and started back to where the kids were suppose to get out when he saw someone moving up ahead.

It was a human figure.

Nosedive squinted his eyes, trying to see better in the dark.

The figure began moving quickly towards him at the exact moment that Nosedive realized who it was.

"Oh, great!" he muttered to himself as he scrambled back into one of the pipes.

"Come back here, duckie boy!" he heard the disgruntled voice of Jarrod Hinks shout.

Nosedive tried to keep his balance going against the flow of the slimy water, refusing to shout out a reply to keep Hinks from guessing how far he was.

He was almost through when he glanced back and saw Hinks hoisting himself up.

"Oh, pucks," Nosedive grunted. He was the proverbial sitting duck. If Hinks fired his gun, there was not much room Dive had to dodge other than throwing himself into the actual sewer water, and that was something he was desperately trying to avoid.

He pushed forward, pocketing his blaster and fumbling with the controls on his wrist.

"Gotcha!" he heard Hinks yell, and he quickly turned around, activating his shield. The bullet ricocheted as Nosedive found himself stumbling back. Hinks pressed his back up against the side and lost his footing, sliding down into the murky water.

Nosedive took the chance to turn and run the rest of the distance, jumping out of the pipe as he heard Hinks yell after him. "I don't care anymore! You're dead!" Another gunshot rang out.

Up ahead, Nosedive could see that there was a ladder. He knew he only had seconds to reach it and start climbing before Hinks made it out of the pipe.

X

Klegghorn stopped. "He should be coming right about here," he said.

"Then let's get this open!"

Agent Belle and Captain Klegghorn knelt and moved the manhole cover, adrenaline giving them the strength they needed to left it high enough to slide it.

"I'll go first," said Klegghorn. He stepped onto the rung and began to quickly climb down the ladder. Agent Belle followed.

As they neared the bottom, they paused when they heard a gunshot and the sound of someone running. Klegghorn took a deep breath and he let himself drop the rest of the way.

Nosedive let out a startled yelp as Klegghorn landed right in front of him. The human then leapt forward and tackled Nosedive to the ground as another bullet shot rang out. A moment later, Agent Belle dropped down as well and fired her own gun in the direction the shot came from.

A pained yelp and a small splash let them know that at the very least, Hinks was now unarmed.

"Freeze!" Belle shouted. "I won't give anymore warnings, dirtbag!"

Nosedive looked at Klegghorn and then at Belle. "Uh, friend of yours?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Hardly," snorted Klegghorn.

X

"Dive!" Wildwing ran to hug his brother but stopped short. "Ugh!"

"Yeah, I know. Smelling really ripe here and in desperate need of a shower, dude."

"There is no way he's riding with us in the Migrator," said Mallory with a small laugh but a serious look on her face.

"Hey, I'm not the only one!" Dive pointed at Canard and Tanya, who at least looked better off than Nosedive.

"That's what the Duckcycles are for," commented Tanya.

"And I call driver's seat!" both Tanya and Canard called, not wanting to be the passenger.

"No fair!" cried out Dive. "Fine!"

Canard couldn't help but grin as he watched the team celebrate their reunion, showing their gratefulness that Nosedive was fine and congratulating Wildwing on managing the rescue.

Wing turned to look at him with a smug look.

Canard just gave him a small salute. He also made a decision that he knew could impact the team. But hopefully it would be for the better.

X

Klegghorn's men were loading up the captured gunmen into the police van. Hinks was cursing up a storm, shouting that he would get his revenge. According to witnesses and the Ducks, they didn't have everyone. It was going to be a long day of interrogations to see if the captured men would accept any deals in exchange for information on the men that got away.

Belle's men were gathering, having gotten the gunfight under control thanks to the Anaheim police team. Word was that several gang members were caught. There were no fatalities, but there were some injured from all sides. Ambulances were already on their way to hospitals to take care of them.

While his chief was calling him and demanding to know all information, Klegghorn could see that Agent Belle's director was most likely calling in. Judging by her face, he was not happy with something. Even though she was bossy and somewhat hard to work with, Klegghorn hoped her director wasn't completely blaming the loss of control on her. It really was an elaborate plan of diversion that the crooks cooked up.

Agent Belle snapped her phone shut as he finished up with his call.

Klegghorn couldn't help but wonder about the expression on her face.

"Anything wrong?" he asked.

Belle just gave him a bitter smile.

"Nothing to concern yourself with." She moved away from him. "Just make sure you keep an eye on those guys." She nodded to the Migrator that was pulling away. "Even though they're helpful, they're still civilians."

Klegghorn snorted. "I'll do my best, but it's easier said than done."

Belle smirked and then turned around and headed to her car.

Klegghorn couldn't help but wonder if he would get a chance to work with her again.

X

Wraith, Siege, and Chameleon watched as Dragaunus reappeared looking like he battled an army. Despite looking beaten, he had a look of victory on his face.

"Uh, boss?" Chameleon asked. "Are you okay?"

"Just fine," said Dragaunus as he made his way to the monitors. He pushed a series of buttons and an image of the battle Duke and Grin were involved in showed up. He may have lost his chance to nab Nosedive, and he may have only gotten four of the ducks' battle techniques recorded, but that was more than half the team. If he studied it long enough to exploit their weakness, the missing information would not matter.

X

Canard watched as his team members made their way into the Pond. They were joking and laughing, cheering each other on at a job well done.

He watched as Wildwing held Nosedive in a one armed embrace, looking happy and proud.

He couldn't help but smirk inwardly at the thought of how Nosedive would react after Canard told him how Wildwing had little faith of him.

But then again, Nosedive had been in trouble. Canard decided to keep the conversation they had earlier quiet. It looked like whatever rift had been occurring was suddenly mending on its own. And he did not want to be responsible to interrupt the healing process they seemed to be starting.

As they piled into the rec room of the Pond, sitting down on the couches in front of the giant screen, Canard made his way to the center and waited.

One by one the ducks noticed him standing there in silence and they began to quiet down.

"Canard?" asked Dive, feeling the sense of something serious before noticing how everyone had gone quiet.

"It's something that's been bothering me for a while now," Canard started off. "But I just didn't know what it was. I mean, back when I first selected you guys as the team, I chose most of you for your strengths. The others do to loyalty, and one as an extra, really. Sorry, Dive."

Nosedive waved his hand, signifying that it no longer bothered him.

"When I disappeared, I handed the mask over to Wildwing. He was no team captain, but he took the challenge and really did wonders with you guys. And I've been realizing how my return really changed some of those dynamics, and I want to apologize."

"Uh, sir?" asked Mallory.

Canard shook his head. "Let me get this out. Today I handed the mask back to Wildwing because he was being stubborn. And considering how long we've been working together, you guys were able to switch gears and follow him without question, and you guys did great. It made me realize that I had no right to step in as captain since I gave up that position long ago. You guys saw Wing as your captain and had a bit of trouble adjusting to accepting me back as one. So I want to fix that."

Canard handed the mask over to Wing. "As of now, I'm resigning as team captain."

"Canard," murmured Wildwing, dumbfounded as he held onto the mask.

Canard gave him a small smile. "Uh, no need to say anything. I'm heading out for a bit. Wing, you're in charge now."

Canard stepped away, leaving behind his team who were all stunned into silence. But they all felt a bit disturbed at Canard's parting words. They were too eerily similar to what they thought were his last words when he went missing.

**In the Next Episode of Mighty Ducks:**

Klegghorn rubbed his ear several seconds after his ex hung up on him. He then rubbed his face and sighed, already feeling exhausted for the day.

"What more can be thrown at me?" he asked to no one in particular.

His phone rang again.

"Captain Klegghorn," he responded.

"Captain! Just got a phoned threat in about a bomb at The Pond!"

Klegghorn felt his eye twitch. "It was a rhetorical question," he muttered.

X

"Are you trying to make my day worse?" Klegghorn asked Canard through the communicator as he stared at the dozen of patrol cars parked in front of a small shop.

"I'm sorry?" responded the duck, keeping his voice low while sounding utterly confused.

"All your bird buddies are trapped in the Pond which is currently being searched and you find yourself in an armed hostage situation. Why couldn't you all be together or partnered up with someone like you normally are?"

X

"There is no way you can hold us responsible for this," Canard and Wildwing both said as they pressed up against the wall.

Klegghorn glared at them as Grin motioned for several people to run past him into the emergency stairwells. "Oh yes I can," he growled as the grey mallard disappeared, being the escort for the civilians.

**Author's Note:**

> Part 2 will be uploaded at most a couple days from now as a second chapter.


End file.
